It doesn’t matter if you’ve been to this lovely city or not, everyone has read and heard of the famous ‘Rock Garden’ in Chandigarh , right? However, if you don’t the fascinating story behind this work of art and why should visit it, then read on.

It is a garden with a lot of cool sculptures all over the place. It was originally a secret project started by a government officer called Nek Chand, who was basically working on it in his free time. What started as a hobby, ended up being one of the most iconic art pieces in the country! It is now spread over 40 acres of land and you won’t believe this but it is completely an art piece made out of wasted material!

Back in 1957, Nek Chand collected waste material for this project and started making this ‘secret’ project. In 1976, this place was discovered and it turned out that this land was a conserved piece of land and one could not legally use it for anything. However, when everyone saw the insane amount of hard work that was put in this 12 acre plot, which was now filled with beautiful art sculptures, demolishing was not the exact thing that was suggested but was definitely considered, given the legal status of the land. However, when the garden was open for the public, Chand’s work received immense love and support. Eventually he was given a designation while the garden was officially being run by the State and with some help from the government; he was able to set up designated centres for collecting waste products and materials.

His hard work was even turned into an official stamp in 1983. However, like all good things come to an end, the ‘Rock Garden’ also had to take its share of trials. The funding was abruptly withdrawn by the city when Nek Chand was on an official tour and was travelling outside the country and the garden eve face a lot of vandalism. The Rock Garden Society finally took the charge of preserving this piece of art and ever since then, more than 5 thousand people visit this beautiful garden every day!

If you are an art lover or a fan of heritage, you can attend the annual ‘Teej’ festival that is celebrated here with pomp and glory or simply go and experience it when you’re in Chandigarh.

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